Holy Week Celebration!!!  
April 14 , 2019 - April 21, 2019
 Guest Speakers: Dr. Fredrick Fairley,
 Dr. Edward L. Branch,
Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems,
Rev. Paul S. Mumford ,
and
Rev. Dr. Godfrey Patterson.


 

Dr. Edward L. Branch
Third Missionary Baptist Church
Detroit, MI

 
Dr. Edward L. Branch is a native of Chicago IL, having served as Minister of Music for the New Mt. Sinai Baptist Church through his teen years. He relocated to Detroit in 1975 and served the New Jerusalem Baptist Church as assistant pastor to Rev. Lawrence J. London, then became associate minister of the New Bethel Baptist Church in 1976 under the late Rev. C.L. Franklin. In 1977 he was called as pastor of the Third New Hope Baptist Church where he has now served for forty years.

EDUCATION: Pastor Branch holds a Master of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree from the Ashland Theological Seminary. In 2012 Ashland Seminary bestowed an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree upon Pastor Branch in acknowledgement of his years of service as Adjunct Professor and Advisory Board Member.

DENOMINATION SERVICE: Pastor Branch served as president of the Baptist, Missionary and Educational Convention of Michigan (1996-2004), the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity (1999-2001). Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (2009-2014).

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: Pastor Branch founded the Heritage Center for Religious Studies in 1988 on the main campus of Third New Hope Baptist Church. Pastor Branch's ministry has reached more than twenty countries on five continents.

Pastor Branch and Sister Lanell are celebrating more than forty-two years of marriage. They have one daughter, Nikkiya, who is an attorney.

 

Rev. Dr. Renita J. Weems
Ray of Hope Community Church
Nashville, TN


Dr. Renita J. Weems is a biblical scholar, an academic administrator, a writer, an ordained minister, and a public intellectual, whose scholarly insights into modern faith, biblical texts, and the role of spirituality in everyday lives make her a highly sought-after writer and speaker.

Dr. Weems is the author of several widely-acclaimed books on women’s spirituality and wholeness: “Just A Sister Away” (1987 & 2005), “I Asked for Intimacy” (1993), “Showing Mary: How Women Can Share Prayers, Wisdom, and the Blessings of God” (2003), and “What Matters Most: Ten Passionate Lessons from the Song of Solomon” (2004).

As a scholar she has numerous books, commentaries and articles on the bible and prophetic religion to her credit. In 2008, Yale University invited Dr. Weems to give the prestigious Lyman Beecher Lecture, making her the first African American woman to do so.

Dr. Weems is a former member of the faculty of Vanderbilt University and former William and Camille Cosby Visiting Professor at Spelman College. She served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at American Baptist College (Nashville, TN).

Dr. Weems earned her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA, and her Master and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Her graduation in 1989 with a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies from Princeton made her the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Old Testament.

When she is not travelling and speaking, Dr. Weems is in Nashville with her husband and daughter writing and serving in ministry with her husband at Ray of Hope Community Church in Nashville, TN.